Orbital Sound Ltd

Aura Sound Design Champion New Technology

The past year has seen a close working relationship develop between two leaders in the field of theatre sound design.

The desk's capacity to create multi-dimensional sound effect placement is also extraordinary and greatly increased the dramatic effect of certain scenes. In addition, the PM1D's small footprint meant only half the number of seats had to be removed compared to a traditional analogue console, " Orbital's Drew Mollison and associate sound designer Crispian Covell were on hand to deal with the programming and installation and worked alongside O'Hare and the show's operator, Jon Clarence.

My One and Only presents a particular challenge to the sound design team as one of the major song and dance routines, ‘S'Wonderful' , takes place in the sea off Staten Island. The two key actors end the number immersed in water, still singing, the musical director conducts from under an umbrella and the front row of the stalls are issued with plastic raincoats. Tracey Campbell, the show's wireless microphone supervisor, overcame the issue of waterproofing by protecting the transmitter packs with self-sealing plastic bags and unlubricated condoms. The Countryman B3 microphone heads withstand their nightly soaking without any further protection. The small size of the Sennheiser SK5012 transmitters has made them a favourite with the cast and they have proved extremely effective in use.

Aura Sound Design and Orbital Sound have collaborated on a number of high-profile West End shows, including Mahler's Conversion, Private Lives and the highly-acclaimed revival of George and Ira Gershwin's My One Only, which recently premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre and is now playing to packed houses at The Piccadilly Theatre in London.

Aura director Fergus O'Hare wanted to incorporate a number of new products into his sound design for the show, and turned to Orbital to provide the solutions. "By championing new technology, we're able to offer producers, directors and cast technically advanced solutions which improve a production on several levels, "he said. "From enhancing sound quality through to helping productions to be more profitable, technology can push the creative boundaries of sound design to new limits".

The show's system centres around the Yamaha PM1D digital console and incorporates some notable firsts such as Sennheiser's miniature SK5012 wireless transmitters, the RTS Radiocomm BTR700 wireless intercom system, and eight Meyer MM4 speakers. O'Hare explains: "I'd noted the use of the PM1D on s number of musical productions and the recent software upgrades, particularly the Recall Safe mode, have further enhanced its performance. " The off-line editing facility also proved very useful, allowing scenes to be edited during rehearsals.

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The desk's capacity to create multi-dimensional sound effect placement is also extraordinary and greatly increased the dramatic effect of certain scenes. In addition, the PM1D's small footprint meant only half the number of seats had to be removed compared to a traditional analogue console, " Orbital's Drew Mollison and associate sound designer Crispian Covell were on hand to deal with the programming and installation and worked alongside O'Hare and the show's operator, Jon Clarence.

My One and Only presents a particular challenge to the sound design team as one of the major song and dance routines, ‘S'Wonderful' , takes place in the sea off Staten Island. The two key actors end the number immersed in water, still singing, the musical director conducts from under an umbrella and the front row of the stalls are issued with plastic raincoats. Tracey Campbell, the show's wireless microphone supervisor, overcame the issue of waterproofing by protecting the transmitter packs with self-sealing plastic bags and unlubricated condoms. The Countryman B3 microphone heads withstand their nightly soaking without any further protection. The small size of the Sennheiser SK5012 transmitters has made them a favourite with the cast and they have proved extremely effective in use.